SaaS benefits technology provider Businessolver recently triumphed in the “Capture the Flag” hacking contest at 2017 THOTCON — an annual industry conference in Chicago — crediting the win to information-security team leader Tom Pohl.

“Capture the Flag,” or CTF, ranks among THOTCON’s yearly highlights, setting up hacker teams to attack and defend information technology systems relying on software and network configurations.

Pohl, who serves as Businessolver’s vice president of IT systems, led his West Des Moines, Iowa-based team SecDSM, to a decisive victory over 30 other entrants, accumulating hundreds of points more than most players. For its efforts, the team earned free lifetime admission to THOTCON.

Not only did the outcome boost Businessolver’s morale, but it also raised the firm’s profile, attracting queries from at least one federal agent as to its strategies and illuminating further potential real-world applications for the company’s expertise.

"The Businessolver system has proprietary security features in place to seal off cyberattacks … keep our customers' private information safe," Pohl said. "What's great about THOTCON and similar events is that they offer a safe environment to test potential enhancements to those features and learn from other trained professionals on what may work better.”

Referencing a recent malware attack called WannaCry, Pohl added that such events highlight the need for more information sharing within the cybersecurity industry.

“When more of us have more information, systems everywhere reap the benefit," Pohl said.